Complement Choice after ‘Opinion’

It is generally well known that there are other words and expressions coming after many nouns, especially abstract nouns, in order to complete the meaning of those nouns. Those words or expressions are called ‘complements’. These complements can be prepositional phrases, infinitive expressions or clauses (with/without prepositions). Since there are no simple rules for what should follow what specifically, it is necessary to learn, find or study what kind of structure can follow what noun.
In this study, trying to examine the choice of complement after the noun ‘opinion’, besides the study of the occurrence this noun, is the main aim of the researcher. To be more precise, the study tries to answer the question what kind of complement choice after ‘opinion’ made be the writers across the three-level essays composed of 82 (Low (25), Mid (29), and High (28)).
To answer this question, AntConc software is used; the incidence of ‘opinion’ is recorded across the three-level essays; then, whether and what complement after ‘opinion’ is used will be examined.
The occurrence of the noun ‘opinion’ was calculated. In Table 1 below, the result of the noun ‘opinion’ in the Low, Mid and High is presented. The frequency of the noun ‘opinion’ in the Low is 0.51% (n = 23); in the Mid, 0.46% (n = 27); and in the High, 0.53% (n = 30). It can be seen that the distribution of the noun ‘opinion’ among these three-level writer shows no significance fluctuation, when they get to higher level.
Table 1
The Frequency of ‘opinion’ in the Mid, Low and High
Low Mid High Total
F per 4477 F per 5828 F per 5643 F per 15948
Opinion 23 .51% 27 .46% 30 .53% 80 .50%
The figures in this table are rounded off to the first two decimals.
* F means Frequency

To further comment, it is worth noting that, based on Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, two main kinds of complement after the noun ‘opinion’ are prepositional phrases (about/on) and that-clause. From the analysis, it is so remarkable that the three-level writers do not use any prepositional phrases as a complement after ‘opinion’ at all, except several that-clauses. Table 2 below shows how frequent that­-clauses are across the three-level essays.
As can be seen from Table 2, the highest choice of that-clause as a complement after ‘opinion’ is in the Low—17.39% (n = 4), followed by the Mid—14.81% (n = 4) and the High—10% (n = 3). From this, it can be explained that the Low to use more complements, specifically that-clause, after the noun ‘opinion’ than the others. Also, when they get higher they tend to reduce this complementizer.
In brief, no matter how frequently the noun ‘opinion’ is used, there is no significance difference among the three-level students. Furthermore, it is so surprising for they do not use prepositional phrases as a complement after the noun ‘opinion’, but a number of that-clauses instead, which among these three-level writers, the lower use the most and the higher use the least.
Table 2
Complement after ‘Opinion’
Low Mid High
F per 23 F per 27 F per 30
That-clause 4 17.39% 4 14.81% 3 10%
Prepositional phrase 0 0 0
The figures in this table are rounded off to the first two decimals.
* F means Frequency